City News Round Up: Friday, May 27, 2022
Please check our agenda center for the full schedule of upcoming Committees, Boards, and Commission meetings. The next City Council meeting is Monday, June 6, at 5:00 PM. Read the recap of the May 16 City Council meeting; view the full Meeting Calendar here.

May 30: City Hall/City Buildings Closure and Memorial Day Parade 
City of Portland offices will be closed on Monday, May 30 in observance of Memorial Day. The parade is back! Starting at 10:30 AM in Longfellow Square the parade will march down Congress Street to Monument Square, where a short 15 minute service will be held (12:00 PM) to place wreaths on the Lady Liberty monument.

The Deering Center Neighborhood Association is also hosting its Annual Deering Center Memorial Day Procession & Commemoration on May 30 at 2:00PM. The procession begins in front of Longfellow School on Stevens Avenue and walks up to Evergreen Cemetery. The commemoration will take place on the cemetery green in front of the chapel.

Budget Process Update
The Finance Committee reviewed the FY23 municipal budget with a public hearing on Thursday, May 26 ahead of the full Council’s review and action on Monday, June 6. The Council will also hold a public hearing on the budget during the June 6 meeting. Read more about the budget review process.

Final Phase I-295/Exit 7 Lane Closures Started Last Week
The final phase of closures of 295/Exit 7 (Franklin Street) for the City’s Back Cove Sewer Separation Project started Thursday, May 19, 2022. All Exit 7 ramps, northbound and southbound, will experience single lane closures during the daytime over the next five weeks and complete closure for overnight paving operations tentatively scheduled for the week of June 20. Motorists should make plans to seek alternate routes during this time. Find the alternate routes and full details here.

Charter Commission Update: Join the Final Public Hearings 
The Portland Charter Commission will hold the last public hearing via Zoom, 6-8PM, on Tuesday, May 31. Open to all Portland residents, your direct feedback is wanted on their proposed changes. The Commission also has a new website you can visit to see all materials related to their work.

June 11: Old Port Half Marathon & 5K returns to Portland 
Please note various streets will be closed in the Old Port area for runners starting at 2:00 AM on June 11. Emergency no parking zones will also go into effect and Casco Bay Ferry passengers will be impacted. The westbound lane of Commercial St will be closed, from Union St to Valley St, 7:00 AM to 10:30 AM. The eastbound lane of Commercial St will remain open to traffic.

Runners on Commercial St will pass and block the entrance to the Casco Bay Lines terminal from 7:45 AM until about 9:00 AM. Portland Police will pause traffic to allow the safe passage of runners. They will allow vehicles to get in and out of the terminal only when there’s a safe gap in between runners. This will cause delays for any vehicles and pedestrians; we don’t want anyone to miss their ferry, so please plan accordingly. Read the full road closure details on their website.

June 14: Special Municipal Election and School Budget Referendum
Election Day is Tuesday, June 14, all polling places will be open on that day from 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM. Find your polling place here. The seats listed below will be voted on, as well as the School Budget Referendum, view a sample ballot here. 

School Board At Large Candidates: Stephanie G. Albert, Benjamin K. Grant, Stacey L. Hang, Sarah M. Lentz, Kimberly A. Mancini, Amber J. Schertz, Richard L. Ward.
School Board District 5 Candidates: Sarah M. Brydon, Elizabeth A. Capone-Newton, Barbara E. Goglin, Joshua W. Haefele, Lou A. Viola.

Absentee Voting Information
In-person absentee voting is now going on in the State of Maine Room at City Hall, Monday-Friday 9:00AM to 4:30PM; voters may access City Hall via Congress Street or Myrtle Street. The last day to in-person absentee vote will be June 9, 2022 (after this date voters will need to fill out a special circumstance form in order to get an absentee ballot). The City Clerk’s office will be open late, until 7:00PM, on Thursday June 9 only for absentee voting and voter registration. All polling locations will be opened on election day. Ranked Choice Voting tabulation will take place Wednesday June 15, 2022 at 10:00 AM in the State of Maine Room —open to the public, media, and candidates that wish to witness the ranking.   

New State of Maine Public Resource Guide
Access Maine is a new online resource guide with information to connect people living in Maine to public programs, services, and other resources that are available to provide support they need to be safe, happy, healthy, and successful.

Federal Grant Will Provide Funding to Create North Deering Park
We’re excited to announce that Portland has received a $400,000 federal grant for the purchase of two properties to create a new 24-acre city park in the North Deering neighborhood. The new park will be the largest addition to the Portland Park System, and meet community need for open space. Read more about the new park funding.

Creative Portland to Receive National Endowment for the Arts Grant 
Creative Portland has been approved for a $30,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the creation of a cultural app with augmented reality (AR) features. The project will curate inclusivity and increase access to immersive digital interactive experiences designed by local artists. The Portland project was among 1,125 projects selected during the second round of Grants for Arts Projects 2022. Across America, more than $26 million was invested in these projects.

Mayor Snyder Joins Other City Leaders Fighting Childhood Hunger
Last week Mayor Kate Snyder joined more than 110 other mayors from 41 states and the District of Columbia in a nonpartisan coalition called the Mayor's Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, which taps the individual and collective leadership of mayors to take meaningful action to end childhood hunger in cities nationwide. Learn more about the coalition.

Reminder: No Treatment for Browntail Moth Needed in Deering Oaks
Good news - the Farmers’ Market will remain in Deering Oaks Park! Our Parks team has not detected any active Browntail Moth nests in the park and has determined we do not need to treat at this time. We will be sure to update the public ahead of any planned treatments if the need arises. Please stay alert, there is still a Browntail Moth warning as residual hairs are present and there could be nests we have not found. Learn more about the Portland Farmers’ Market.

New Resource to Assist City with Climate Resiliency Zoning
The Governor's Office of Policy, Innovation, and the Future awarded the City $50,000 as part of its Community Resilience Partnership Community Action Grant program. The grant will help fund the development of climate resiliency zoning for the city, building off recommendations from One Climate Future. One Climate Future suggested two basic zoning mechanisms for Portland: a resiliency overlay focused on adapting to the risks of flooding from sea level rise and storm surge in the areas most likely to be affected by these risks, and a set of city-wide standards focused on adapting to the effects of higher intensity rainstorms and heat. The City will fold the climate resiliency zoning work into ReCode Portland.

New Resource: $50 Million Homeowner Assistance Program
Governor Janet Mills, U.S. Senator Angus King, and Representative Chellie Pingree announced on Thursday, May 5 a new $50 million Homeowner Assistance Fund through the Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection to provide direct relief to Maine homeowners at risk of losing their homes because of hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn the details of the program and read the full press release. 

Jetport Runway Closure In Effect Until June 13
The primary runway at the Jetport is now closed until June 13. All air traffic in and out of the Jetport will be operating on the airport's secondary north-south runway. This will lead to a significant change in air traffic over Portland, South Portland, Scarborough, and Westbrook. Learn more about the runway closure.

Parks and Recreation Updates
Registration for the Before & After the Bell 2022/2023 school year starts Monday, July 11 at 8:00 AM, visit www.portlandrec.com to register. Please note: We expect spots will fill quickly. Saturday Adult Lap Swim and Open Swim at Reiche are canceled effective May 7 through June 11, due to a staffing shortage. Please call 207-808-5400 or email recreation@portlandmaine.gov with any questions. Read all the Parks updates via their May newsletter

Work With Us!
We currently have multiple job openings across a variety of departments. For more information, visit: www.portlandmaine.gov/jobs. See how we are working together to serve the community with other local agencies -in this recent video. 

Hiring Now: Health and Human Services Department
Apply today for these open positions: Social Services: Senior Human Services Counselor, Prevention & Diversion; Human Services Counselors-Prevention & Diversion; Senior Human Services Counselor, Oxford Street Shelter; Shelter Attendants, Full, Part time and Per Diem positions available at both the Family Shelter and Oxford Street Shelter; Shelter Security Guards, On call and Full time; Program Coordinator - Resettlement Program; Human Services Counselor-Family Shelter; Human Services Specialist - Family Shelter. Public Health: Program Coordinator, Maine Cities Readiness Initiative; Public Health Nurse, Portland Community Free Clinic. Barron Center: Direct Nursing Staff, CNAs, LPNs, RNs, Principal RN; Unit Assistants, Food Service Workers, Full and Part time; Cook I. Administrative: Financial Manager.